Source:
AskMen.com - gain muscle mass
Mass is something every bodybuilder seeks: attaining it is pretty simple and straightforward. Unless you use steroids (and get all the side effects that come with it), you will need discipline and devotion to your training. You will have to bust your gut and spend a lot of hard working hours in the gym.
Follow Chris Cormier's 10 basic mass building rules when training to gain real mass. With a few good reasons on why they should be followed, below are Cormier's ten rules.
1) Use free weights for all heavy sets
Your chest might feel really pumped when using the Smith machine, but when you want to add real mass, use dumbbells instead. Dumbbells will make your ancillary muscles work as well and they will build compound mass. The greater range of motion (possible with the dumbbells) simply increases the number of muscles used in the training, therefore results are better.
2) Utilize compound movements
Remember you want to increase the size of every muscle fiber in your body so that your total body mass to increases. Most trainers believe that only good form will achieve muscle separation. But take Chris Cormier's advice and allow your muscles to grow. That will give them more space for separation.
3) Find areas of improvement
Assess your physique to determine which muscle groups need to be brought up in size, then go to the gym with that in mind, concentrating on working those areas first. People always have some "better" parts of the body, so focus on less developed muscles.
4) Experiment to find your best mass building exercises
With experience, you will learn to find exercises that work best on your muscles. Therefore, if you want to build mass, try different exercises and see which ones pump you up best. Once again, emphasize movements with dumbbells and free weights since they are the best for building mass.
5) Avoid injury
The combination of an intense workout and heavy weights will increase the risk of injuries. Many bodybuilding careers ended because of torn pecs, slipped discs or strained erectors. Simply be careful and be sure to warm-up, gradually increasing to maximum lifting weight.
6) Utilize optimum sets
Cormier suggests using a range of 16 to 20 sets per body part. I suggest that if you are not a competing bodybuilder, use a range of 12 to 16 sets, per muscle group. Each set should be completed to exhaustion; this will maximize the benefit of your workout. Try not to train more then 2 body parts in a single day or you will over work your body, and it might stop you from growing.
7) Don't count exercises
There is no optimum number of exercises. Most bodybuilders recommend four sets of four or five different exercises per body part. As mentioned above, this depends on how serious you are in building a massive body. Professional bodybuilders usually use supplements, which gives them greater endurance and strength for muscle growth.
8) Perform optimum reps
Chris Cormier likes to train heavy and perform many repetitions. He can curl 45 pounds ten times and considers it medium to lightweight. The point here is to always pump up the muscles until they can't move an inch more.
9) Flirt with maximums
Check out your strength levels every so often by maximizing one or two reps. Remember that whenever you pound your muscles with maximum weight, the danger of over-training and injury increases. Therefore, gradually increase the weight until you can perform only one repetition. For example, when trying your maximum bench press weight, start with a realistic weight and gradually increase until you can no longer add on more weight.
10) Eat your meat
You need protein for your muscles to grow: the more, the better. Include lean red meats in your daily diet, as they contain the right nutrients to make muscles grow. It is actually quite simple: the combination of a high protein diet and the right kind of workout will make your muscles grow like you never thought possible.
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